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2025 Best Sociology Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois

17 Colleges in Illinois
704 Bachelor's Degrees
$35,121 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #19 in popularity, sociology is one of the most sought-after bachelor's degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

College Factual looked at 17 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Sociology Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 704 bachelor's degrees in sociology to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Sociology School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Sociology Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois The sociology bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality sociology program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we include a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of bachelor's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their bachelor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for sociology students working on their bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Sociology Schools

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Sociology Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Sociology in Illinois

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in sociology.

10 Top Illinois Schools for a Bachelor's in Sociology

1
50 Annual Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in sociology has to take a look at University of Chicago. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago.More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from University of Chicago

2

It's difficult to beat Northwestern University if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in sociology. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the sociology degree program at Northwestern University earn $3,281 above the average college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from Northwestern University

3
83 Annual Graduates
$31,548 Median Starting Salary
$36,015 Median Student Debt

It's hard to beat University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in sociology. UIUC is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Champaign.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the sociology program earn an average of $31,548 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

4
77 Annual Graduates
$34,435 Median Starting Salary
$21,033 Median Student Debt

Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in sociology needs to look into University of Illinois at Chicago. Located in the city of Chicago, UIC is a public university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the sociology program make about $34,435 in their early career salary.

More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from University of Illinois at Chicago

5
57 Annual Graduates
$33,636 Median Starting Salary
$25,547 Median Student Debt

Illinois State is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the sociology program report average early career income of $33,636.

More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from Illinois State University

6

Loyola Chicago is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago.

Soon after graduating, sociology bachelor's recipients usually make about $34,004 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from Loyola University Chicago

7
44 Annual Graduates
$35,150 Median Starting Salary
$20,730 Median Student Debt

Located in the small suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the sociology program make about $35,150 in their early career salary.

More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from Northern Illinois University

8
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, IL
42 Annual Graduates
$33,644 Median Starting Salary
$38,970 Median Student Debt

DePaul is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the sociology program make about $33,644 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from DePaul University

9
17 Annual Graduates

Bradley is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Peoria.More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from Bradley University

10
North Central crest
North Central College
Naperville, IL

North Central is a small private not-for-profit college located in the city of Naperville.

Soon after graduation, sociology bachelor's recipients generally make an average of $29,714 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from North Central College

Best Sociology Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Sociology Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 261 509
Ohio 252 612
Indiana 235 415
Wisconsin 213 461

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Sociology is one of 13 different types of Social Sciences programs to choose from.

Sociology Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Sociology 704

Related Major Annual Graduates
Economics 1,807
Political Science & Government 1,378
Anthropology 231
International Relations & National Security 198
Geography & Cartography 112
Sociology & Anthropology 51
Other Social Sciences 37
General Social Sciences 23
Urban Studies 17

Notes and References

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